The LHC won painfully against the SCL Tigers (3-4 TAB). The post-match is presented to you by our main partner, Vaudoise Assurances.
What a great end to the year
The LHC started this meeting in force in Emmental. You definitely shouldn't arrive late to admire the first goal of the match. Well positioned, Lauri Pajuniemi intercepts an opponent's pass and unleashes an impressively powerful receiving shot, surprising Stéphane Charlin. After this lightning opening score, the game became balanced, with good circulation of the puck on both sides of the ice. Fortunately for the LHC, Kevin Pasche was imperious in key moments, making decisive saves which allowed his team to return to the locker room with a one-goal advantage.
This advantage was, however, short-lived for Geoff Ward's men. During the second third, the local players intensified the pressure on the Lausanne cage. In the 27th minute, former LHC player Harri Pesonen equalized before Dario Rohrbach gave Langnau the lead by scoring his eighth goal of the season. This slump for Lausanne was, however, quickly compensated for by the essential Finnish duo of the LHC: Suomela-Oksanen. Antti Suomela, PostFinance Top Scorer from Lausanne, fought hard to keep the puck before magnificently serving his compatriot Ahti Oksanen, who adjusted the Langnau goalkeeper with composure just before the break.
The third period was marked by palpable tension. Both teams, aware of the importance of even the smallest detail, did everything to avoid mistakes. Protected by two goalkeepers in great shape, the nets remained intact for many minutes. In the end, it was the people of Lausanne who were the first to break down in the “money time”. Trailing by a goal a few seconds from the end, Geoff Ward's men showed incredible composure and, thanks to Jason Fuchs, finally scoring, they snatched a well-deserved overtime in view of the entire match .
After five minutes of unsuccessful overtime, it was finally during the penalty shootout that the Lions sealed their second point of the evening. This final victory of 2024 places the LHC in second place in the National League standings, tied on points with the ZSC Lions. Well done !
The evolution of the score
2e Lauri Pajuniemi 0-1; 27e Harri Pesonen (Riikola) 1-1; 33e Dario Rohrbach (Pesonen / Guggenheim) 2-1; 38e Ahti Oksanen (Finland) 2-2; 56e Sean Malone 3-2; 59e Jason Fuchs (Pajuniemi) 3-3.
The next Lions meetings
The Lions are waiting for you after the holidays with a match scheduled for 3:45 p.m. on Thursday, January 2 at the Vaudoise arena against EHC Kloten before traveling to Zurich on Sunday, January 5.
